The carriage slowly rolled to a halt before the city gate. Rita got off, taking the reins at the front and blending into the slow-moving stream of people entering the city.
Not long ago, Cecilia had instructed her, “Just go in with the main crowd, there’s no need to make any special arrangements.”
Otherwise, this carriage would theoretically have extremely high priority.
While queuing to enter the city, Rita also had the chance to take a good look at this Royal Capital.
First, there was the scale. Along the way, Rita had passed through quite a few cities, but none of them could compare to the Royal Capital in terms of size.
Rather than calling it a city, it was more like a spectacle—massive stones piled high and then carefully sculpted.
Compared to Solus, the border city built heavy and thick to fend off the demons, the Royal Capital exuded a stately grace, steeped in power and history beneath its imposing majesty.
Take two straightforward examples: Solus, as a border city, naturally had formidable walls, but even those paled beside the Royal Capital’s; and in terms of area, the Royal Capital stretched so far that you couldn’t see the end of it—likely, even if you combined Solus’s outer and inner cities, it wouldn’t be enough.
After all, it was the capital of a nation—such scale was only fitting. Rita recalled how the capital back in her own world had also been built ring upon ring.
And as the capital, its security was surely beyond comparison to other cities. Here, even the slightest suspicious movement would get you caught in an instant.
And that would drag Cecilia down with her. Rita didn’t even want to think about how a princess with ties to demons would be treated. Cecilia might trust her, but that didn’t mean everyone else would—if she were exposed, she probably wouldn’t even have a chance to explain.
The wait in line passed swiftly as Rita surveyed her surroundings and let her thoughts run wild. Before she knew it, she was at the checkpoint.
Stepping through the city’s great arched gateway, Rita felt as if she had entered another world.
Noise and color surged toward her like a tidal wave. The main avenue of the Royal Capital was wide enough to accommodate several carriages abreast, paved with smooth blue stone worn to a mirror shine by countless wheels and feet.
At the start of the avenue—the city entrance checkpoint—dozens of soldiers stood in several groups, inspecting the stream of travelers.
“Is this a carriage from the waystation?” One fully armored city guard eyed the carriage Rita led and paused, then placed one hand over his chest in salute, though the other hand still gripped his war spear tightly. “Who’s inside? And what business do you have in the capital?”
Rita had seen clearly how the other travelers were inspected: all their baggage had to be searched in detail. But the moment the soldiers saw this carriage, their attitude changed.
Even the city guards had sharp eyes, it seemed.
Just as Rita was wondering how she should reply, the carriage window was opened by Cecilia herself.
“It’s me.”
The nearest soldiers snapped to attention with a thundering sound. The military salute they gave this time looked even more formal than before, though Rita couldn’t quite tell what the actual differences were, aside from the movements.
“Fourth Princess! Welcome home to the capital!”
This unified shout stirred the crowd nearby, and Rita could hear several whispers.
“Princess?”
“That’s the Fourth Princess!”
“Isn’t that…”
Some people craned their necks, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cecilia’s face, but she had already closed the window, prompting a wave of disappointed sighs.
Cecilia’s next order followed at once.
“Take me to the Royal Palace, I need to see my father. Rita, come with me.”
“Yes, Lady Cecilia.”
Rita replied respectfully, though inside, she was at a loss.
Where is the Royal Palace? She didn’t know at all.
At that moment, two soldiers stepped out from the ranks. One took the reins from Rita, and the other walked behind the carriage. They escorted the carriage toward the grandest building in the Royal Capital.
Along the way, Rita kept her eyes on the city streets, trying her best to memorize the appearance of this city where she might be living for a long time.
The first impression Rita got from the Royal Capital was its bustle.
Cries of peddlers, laughter and conversation, and the creaking of wagon wheels on stone interwove. Even on the rest day of the Holy Knight trials, Solus wasn’t half as dazzling as the everyday life here.
As for the shops along the street, Rita had no way to memorize them all, but just looking at those lavish storefronts, she could sense that whatever they sold inside must be quite expensive.
Most likely, picking anything at random inside would be enough to buy several of the best swords she’d ever used in any shop before.
After traveling for quite a while, the architectural style began to subtly change, and the scenery ahead grew obviously more dignified and imposing. There could be no mistake—this was the Royal Palace district. Although there were a few other buildings whose purposes Rita couldn’t discern, she was sure this was the place.
Thinking back, that rebellious prince’s uprising was at least a century ago. This city must have at least a hundred years of history, right?
Well, cities in fantasy worlds were often counted in millennia, but this kind of historical weight was still rare to see.
At the sight of the Royal Palace, several words instantly sprang to Rita’s mind.
Ostentatious. Luxurious. Majestic. Gleaming gold!
Unlike the tranquil feel of buildings elsewhere, countless spires around the palace pierced the sky like swords, as if defending the rights of the royal family.
If the whole Royal Capital was a dazzling crown, then the palace was the brightest jewel set atop it.
For some reason, it seemed the royal family had an inseparable bond with the color gold—golden blood, golden buildings, golden hair, and the Golden Tree Banner that could often be seen fluttering above the Royal Capital.
Rita followed the soldiers, slowly approaching the true entrance of the Royal Palace.
A soldier opened the carriage door for Cecilia, who stepped down gracefully. Immediately, maids hurried out from within, bowed, and took Cecilia’s luggage inside.
Rita didn’t know what she should be doing, so she just followed behind Cecilia, all the way through the winding palace corridors and roads, finally arriving at a certain room.
Along the way, Rita noticed the maids casting curious and wary looks at her, but with the current situation unclear, she thought it best to pretend she hadn’t noticed.
A maid opened the door for Cecilia. As Cecilia stepped inside, she stopped Rita from following.
“Take her to get cleaned up, then change her into something proper, and bring her back to me. We’ll go see my father together.”
Rita opened her mouth, glanced at her travel-stained and somewhat shabby clothes, and considered that Cecilia was probably about to introduce her to the king. With that in mind, she complied.
The maid led Rita through several more corridors to what was obviously a guest room, brought in a large wooden tub, filled it with hot water, and then stood there watching Rita.
Huh?
“Um…aren’t you going to step out?”
“The Fourth Princess ordered us to help you clean up.” The maid repeated what Cecilia had just said.
Although Rita felt a little awkward, she didn’t want to keep Cecilia waiting, nor delay something as important as meeting the king, so she braced herself and took off all her clothes.
In fact, it wasn’t that embarrassing—not compared to undressing in front of Cecilia.
But having someone help with her bath was still uncomfortable. If not for Cecilia’s order, Rita would have done anything to send the maids away and bathe herself.
After the bath, the maids dried her off, rubbed fragrant floral ointment into her skin, coiled her silver hair up behind her head, and someone brought a set of brand new clothes.
Rita tried them on. Though styled like ordinary knight’s attire, much like the set Cecilia had bought her before, the material and tailoring were exquisite beneath the plain surface.
And the fit was perfect, as if they’d known her measurements in advance.
She put on the boots, tightened the belt, and followed the maid back to Cecilia’s room.
“The Fourth Princess, I have brought her,” the maid knocked on the door and waited respectfully at the entrance.
Rita didn’t know what to do at that moment and could only stand quietly by the side until Cecilia spoke.
“Come in.”
Entering the room, Rita saw that Cecilia had also changed her clothes. Although it was just casual attire, it was every bit as fine as the formal gown she’d worn on the high platform in Solus.
At this moment, Rita realized something she’d often overlooked.
Though she’d always called her “Lady Cecilia” and knew Cecilia was a royal princess, it had only been an abstract notion until now.
Seeing Cecilia like this finally made it real.
So Lady Cecilia really is a princess—something like that, she thought.
“Don’t just stand there, Rita,” Cecilia’s tone, as always, made Rita feel at ease. “Let’s go, we’re going to see my father.”
As she spoke, Cecilia stepped over to Rita’s side, glancing once at the maid beside her.
“Just the two of us is enough. Go about your duties.”
“As you wish, Fourth Princess.” The maid lifted her skirt and left.
Cecilia looked at Rita again, then extended her hand, making a gesture for Rita to take her arm.
“Don’t stand there dazed—get used to all this as soon as you can.”
“Y-yes.” Rita stammered a little, but still raised her hand and took Cecilia’s arm.